Developing Countries Lack Capacity To Take Advantage Of Marrakesh Treaty 18/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments The 2013 Marrakesh Treaty has been applauded by beneficiaries throughout the world for answering the need for wider access to special format works for visually impaired people. However, the path to its implementation, even after it is ratified by enough countries, appears to be strewn with difficulties in developing countries, which will need capacity-building, according to a speaker at a discussion panel organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Swiss Group Finds Patent-Related Ethical Violations By Pharma Overseas 17/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Berne Declaration, a Swiss non-profit, has released results of investigations that found industry-sponsored offshore clinical drug trials in developing countries involve “multiple ethical violations,” a problem increased by the patent-based industry business model.
TTIP Leak Illustrates Depth Of “Enhanced Regulatory Cooperation” As NGOs Sound Off 16/12/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments In time for the start of the third round of trade negotiations between the United States and European Union, EU transparency organisation Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) published the first interesting leak on the substance of the talks.
Concerns Raised To Global Fund Over Panel On Tiered Medicines Pricing 10/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Public groups this week urged Mark Dybul, head of the Geneva-based Global Fund for HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to reconsider the establishment of a panel to look at tiered pricing for middle income countries, potentially allowing companies to charge them higher prices. And separately, activists reported on progress in South Africa’s HIV strategy.
Crowdfunding ‘Operation Ninja STAR’ Arms Small Business Against Patent ‘Trolls’ 10/12/2013 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Small businesses form the backbone of the American economy, but many see patent assertion entities (PAEs), or, “patent trolls” and troll lawsuits as serious wrenches thrown into these economic engines of innovation and ideas. So, Article One Partners (AOP), a global patent research community that crowdsources its research for tech giants and law firms the likes of Microsoft and Google, today launched “Operation Ninja STAR,” a crowdfunding effort to help small businesses defend themselves against PAEs behaving badly.
IPRs An Issue In Latest HIV Treatment Monitoring Test, Group Says 10/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Intellectual property rights represent a hurdle to lower-priced, high quality tests of HIV treatment monitoring in developing countries, public health group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders) said today.
Leaked Documents Show Tough Road To Completion Of TPP 10/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The far-reaching Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement may be even more ambitious than previously thought. A newly leaked alleged recent memorandum and chart giving a rare view of country positions from inside the closed negotiating room showed the 12 countries to be far apart on many issues, especially intellectual property rights, heading into this week’s talks in Singapore. And they suggest the United States is facing pushback to its vigorous efforts to get those differences resolved quickly.
Down To The Wire, WIPO’s Gurry Continues To Catch Flak In US 04/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry continues to receive criticism from some quarters in the United States technology and intellectual property sector who say he should not be re-elected for a second six-year term next year.
Movers And Shakers In The IP World Jostle For Influence 02/12/2013 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Just as the world of international intellectual property law and policy is ever-changing, so are the faces within it. There’s a new head of the US Commerce Department who has a bold, IP-friendly agenda coming up, and there’s a hole at the helm of the USPTO. The British Prime Minister named an entertainment industry-friendly IP advisor, while Twitter has formed its own PAC and hired its first lobbyist as the social media platform continues to rise in both use and influence. Law firms in the US are bolstering their IP practices, recognising that it’s these issues that spur action most in Congress. Read the latest edition of the IP-Watch People column for an updated list of the latest people news and IP moves.
Authors Look At Positive Impact Of Patents On Public Domain 22/11/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A study emphasising the positive effect of the patent system on the public domain was presented this week by two of its co-authors as a side event to the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on development.